Chapter 96 She deserves it!
Without delay, Ding Luying had her servant bring paper and pen and began writing down the medicinal ingredients on the spot.
He didn't write it all at once, but rather wrote in fits and starts, sometimes frowning and thinking before continuing, and sometimes even going back to cross out a certain herb and replace it with another.
Dai Li watched with trepidation.
Although the old man didn't say it explicitly, she sensed that he hadn't helped anyone remove the Gu worms in recent years, or even more than a decade.
Otherwise, why would one need to think so much?
Please, please don't write down the wrong medicinal herb! A small mistake can have huge consequences...
It took about 15 minutes to finish writing on the first sheet of mulberry paper.
Ding Luying changed the paper and continued.
Qin Shaozong picked up the first sheet. He wasn't an expert in traditional Chinese medicine, so he was just counting. There were fifteen kinds of herbs on the paper; some were familiar, while others were completely unfamiliar.
"Hu Bao, come here and make a copy," Qin Shaozong called to Hu Bao, who was waiting outside.
Upon hearing this, Hu Bao sat down to the side and picked up his brush to write.
Dai Li held a teacup in her hand, and the warm tea remained untouched by its owner until it cooled down.
Qin Shaozong touched the outer wall with his finger and saw that the tea was completely cold. He took it away and handed it to the maid, saying, "Go and get another one."
The maidservant withdrew.
Qin Shaozong said in a low voice, "Madam, don't worry too much. Since Xianshi became a well-known merchant in the world, merchants have been coming to the north in an endless stream. They are just medicinal herbs. Even if there are many kinds, it doesn't matter. We can still collect them all."
“But there are only three months left.” Dai Li was extremely anxious.
That red-bellied cub had a much shorter lifespan than its kind due to its irregular eating habits. It only had three months left, and if it couldn't be successfully removed, it meant that Zhouzhou would also only have three months left to live.
Before she could finish speaking, Ding Luying shook her head, "Madam, the blood-red gall has only three months left, but the young master can't wait that long. At the latest, all the medicinal herbs need to be prepared in two and a half months, and the remaining half month should be used for pest control."
Dai Li's face immediately paled considerably.
It wasn't three months, but rather two and a half months to prepare the medication.
She suddenly remembered something: when she passed through Dahong County in Jizhou, she received the first letter from the Qinglian Sect.
[Of the medicines of Yanzhou, only I can cure them.]
They didn't say "poison" or "insect," but used the word "medicine."
At the time, she thought the word meant "poison," and that avoiding it was a euphemism, an attempt to gloss over the truth. However, looking back now, it refers not only to Gu worms but also to medicinal herbs.
The other party had foreseen that she would bring her son to the Ding family for medical treatment, knew the lifespan of the red gall bladder inside Zhouzhou, and even anticipated that the necessary medicinal materials were scattered all over the country, and that two and a half months might not be enough time to gather the medicine.
That's why there's that arrogant phrase, "Only I can solve it."
Thinking about it this way, the other party probably already knew that the son was secretly refusing to take those "miracle drugs" from the beginning, but never exposed him.
By indulging him, we are also punishing his willfulness.
Dai Li gritted her teeth, her heart bleeding with hatred. "From north to south, the distance is more than a thousand miles. The round trip takes time to find the medicinal herbs."
As she spoke, Dai Li became somewhat obsessed, saying, "If only there were airplanes here, it wouldn't be a problem to travel back and forth between the north and south in a single day."
Her voice wasn't loud, and only Qin Shaozong and the maid who brought back fresh tea heard it.
The maid looked up in surprise upon hearing this. Just as she was about to look at Dai Li, a sharp, cold gaze fell on her from the side. In that instant, it felt as if a biting wind was blowing on her face, making her shudder.
The maidservant quickly lowered her head, not daring to look any longer, and her hand suddenly felt light as the teacup was taken away.
Qin Shaozong: "Go down."
Suddenly, a teacup appeared in Dai Li's hand. The tea was at a comfortable temperature, warm and comforting, and the warmth spread through her, making her icy fingers feel cozy.
Qin Shaozong then told her, “After the discovery of Xian Shi, merchants from the Great Yan and even merchants from the Western Regions frequently came to the North. It is not cost-effective to come with empty carriages, so they will inevitably bring a lot of goods north. Some things may be sold out along the way, but a lot will be transported to the North. Southern medicinal herbs can be found in the North.”
Dai Li lowered her eyes, looking at the slightly swaying liquid in the cup. With each of his words, the heart that had been pounding in her chest finally calmed down a little.
Suddenly, footsteps came from inside, and a person hurriedly came out from the side corridor.
He was dressed simply and was a servant.
"My benefactor..."
Seeing that there were many people in the main hall, and that three generations of the master's family were present, the servant immediately knew that a distinguished guest had arrived.
He hesitated for a moment, but subconsciously took two steps forward, clearly indicating that the matter he was about to report was extremely important to him.
"We'll talk about other things later," Ding Lianxi initially said.
The servant hesitated and whispered, "But the sergeant inside said this matter is important and that I must report it."
Ding Lianxi shuddered.
The captain inside was a member of the Xuanxiao Cavalry.
Upon learning that the young master had been poisoned, the Marquis immediately dispatched a team of men to rush back to Yuyang overnight to protect the entire Ding family.
The guards arrived just in time; almost a few days after they arrived, the Ding family faced their first blatant assassination attempt at night.
The Xuanxiao cavalry were all highly skilled, successfully slaying all the assassins. After that night, blatant assassinations decreased, occurring only once more, followed by a series of minor incidents.
"What is it?" Ding Lianxi asked.
The servant said, "Somehow a raccoon dog sneaked into the kitchen, stole a bite of the fish we bought today, and then collapsed in convulsions."
When the servant said these words, Dai Li, who was holding a teacup, didn't react. She was still in the state of "Zhou Zhou should be saved, let's have some tea to calm down" and lowered her head to drink the tea.
The moment the tea touched her lips, before she could even swallow, a large, dark hand suddenly reached out and opened, cupping her cheek and pressing Dai Li's head down. At the same time, long fingers used force to pry open her teeth through her skin.
Because he was looking down, the tea flowed down his throat before it even reached his throat.
Dai Li spat out a handful of tea from Qin Shaozong's hand. The two were standing close together, and some of the tea spilled onto his black robe and boots.
His movements were extremely fast, and he knocked over the teacup in Dai Li's hand. The tea that Dai Li spat out fell to the ground almost at the same time as the teacup in her hand.
The cups and saucers crashed to the ground with a loud clatter, the sound particularly jarring in the hall.
Qin Yanzhou was sitting with his back to Dai Li, unaware that she had been drinking tea.
However, when he heard Qin Shaozong ask the maid to bring tea and heard the Ding family servants report the matter, his first reaction was to turn around and look at Dai Li. Just then, he saw the scene of Qin Shaozong pinching her teeth open and spitting water all over his hand.
The initially tense young man relaxed a bit, but still asked, "Mother, did you drink it?"
Dai Li also realized that there might be something wrong with the tea. She pushed Qin Shaozong's hand away and coughed twice subconsciously, "Not yet, not in time."
Qin Yanzhou was completely relaxed.
Ding Lianxi, standing to the side, was speechless. Not only him, but his parents and grandfather were also stunned, staring in astonishment at Qin Shaozong and Dai Li, whose robes were soaked with water.
Many gazes fell upon him, but Qin Shaozong ignored them, calmly took a handkerchief from the purse on Dai Li's waist, wiped the tea on his hands, and then smoothed his long robe.
He called out Ding Lianxi's courtesy name and asked, "Congjian, do you often commit poisoning like this?"
Ding Lianxi quickly regained his senses. "Not many. Including the time just now, there have only been two other times before. The Ding family has been practicing medicine for generations and is very sensitive to the smell of medicinal herbs. If something else is added to the food, we can detect the abnormality just by smelling it or taking a small bite. Moreover, some medicinal herbs are far less toxic after being steamed or boiled."
Dai Li seemed thoughtful. "So poisoning won't work on you."
If they weren't targeting the Ding family, then they were targeting...them.
The Qinglian Sect knew that once they arrived in Yuyang, they would definitely come to seek medical help immediately, so they pulled this stunt.
Dai Li looked down at the broken pieces on the ground, thinking that the tea was probably not poisonous; the poison was most likely just the fish. As for the cat, it had been deliberately put into the Ding family's house.
This is a reminder, or rather a warning.
At this moment, Qin Shaozong suddenly whispered to Dai Li, "Madam, the people of the Qinglian Sect are treacherous and full of tricks; they are by no means the righteous path."
Dai Li: "..."
As the servants cleaned up the broken cups and saucers, Mr. Ding finished writing down all the medicinal herbs.
The book spans three full pages. The last two pages have fewer varieties than the first page, but perhaps because they are quite valuable, the dosages of less common medicinal herbs are listed on the latter pages.
Ding Luying put down the wolf-hair brush. "Young master, starting tomorrow, please come and give you acupuncture every other day to try to suppress the activity of the red gallbladder."
Qin Yanzhou stood up and bowed deeply to the old man in front of him, "Thank you, Mr. Ding."
It was best not to look too closely at that beautiful young woman, but this young man was quite a sight. Ding Luying had lived for so many years, and this was the first time she had ever seen such a handsome young man.
Perhaps it was because he had practiced martial arts for a long time, but he walked and sat with vigor, his back was straight, and his temperament was very tough. Even though his face was as beautiful as jade, he did not have a trace of femininity.
Like a sharp, beautiful knife.
No one dislikes beautiful things and people, and Ding Luying readily accepted the idea of being treated.
Expelling insects is not difficult for him; the difficulty lies in having all the necessary medicinal herbs. If treatment is delayed due to a lack of herbs, he will not be held responsible.
However, there's one thing I need to mention beforehand...
Ding Luying said solemnly, "My lord, the cultivation conditions for Gu worms like Chidan are quite demanding, and they are not common. The reason I learned about them was fifty years ago when I went south to Jiaozhou with my father and accidentally found them in a small mountain village. As for where that small mountain village is now, I can no longer remember."
Fifty years have passed, and many memories have become blurred.
Especially for someone like Ding Luying, who is obsessed with medicine, he can only remember what he has learned. If you ask him about the specific location, who taught him, or who was around him, he will forget everything.
However, judging from the young man's current condition, there were likely followers of the Qinglian Sect, or even a high-level stronghold, in that small mountain village at the time.
Qin Shaozong understood the meaning behind his words: "It's alright, Mr. Ding can just focus on getting rid of the pests."
...
With the important matters discussed temporarily concluded, Qin Shaozong and Dai Li, mother and son, left the Ding residence at sunset.
After the incident where a cat was poisoned to death, the Ding family did not dare to invite them to dine.
They can tell the difference, but that doesn't mean others can. When dining with such distinguished guests, you must let them start eating first. If anything goes wrong, they will be held responsible.
Qin Shaozong didn't plan to eat at the Ding residence either. The residence had prepared a new fish soup for her, and he also missed the stir-fried pork, so he decided to eat at home by himself.
When they left the Ding residence, the entire Ding family saw them off. Qin Shaozong first helped Dai Li into the carriage. As he was about to board, he seemed to sense something and turned his head sharply.
About six or seven zhang away, a man wearing a cross-collar short jacket and with his hair tied up with a headband met Qin Shaozong's gaze.
The man was probably not expected to be discovered so suddenly, and that it was Marquis Wu'an himself who was looking at him. He was startled and subconsciously turned his head away.
His overly exaggerated movements only made him seem like he was trying to cover something up.
With the cat poisoning incident already underway, Qin Shaozong was furious. "Hu Bao, grab him."
Hu Bao saw the person and rushed over without saying a word. The person immediately tried to escape, but Hu Bao caught up with him, kicked him, and sent him sprawling to the ground.
Hu Bao returned carrying the man, the whole process taking less than a minute. Qin Shaozong didn't even look at the man, and without saying a word, got into the carriage.
The carriage wheels rolled across the setting sun as the carriage returned to the Qin residence.
After returning to his residence, Qin Shaozong summoned Jin Duole, "Jin Duole."
The three heavy words struck, making the refined man, a professor specializing in military affairs, skip a beat.
His superiors treated military officers and civil officials differently. They would call the former by their full names and sometimes even curse them; but they would call the latter by their courtesy names.
It had been a very, very long time since Jin Duole had ever been called by his full name right off the bat.
Jin Duole immediately became serious. "My lord, what urgent matter do you have to discuss with me?"
Qin Shaozong placed three sheets of mulberry bark paper on the table. "These three lists of medicinal herbs must be collected within two months, regardless of manpower or financial resources. Do you understand?"
When he said this, Qin Shaozong spoke more slowly than usual, emphasizing the word "financial resources," and staring intently at Jin Duole, revealing an unusual solemnity and seriousness.
Jin Duole's narrow eyes widened slightly, instantly realizing that the Marquis would not tolerate his usual stinginess on this mission. He quickly cupped his hands in response, "This subordinate understands. Please rest assured, I will strictly follow your instructions this time."
Qin Shaozong: "Report back to me in ten days and have Qiao Wangfei come in."
Jin Duole agreed, took the form, and left in a hurry.
A moment later, Qiao Wangfei entered. "My lord, you wanted to see me?"
As winter approaches, darkness falls faster. It was bright and sunny when I returned home, but now the sky is already mostly dark.
The imposing man sat behind his desk, the last rays of sunlight streaming in through the window and falling obliquely on him, dividing the light and shadow by his high, straight nose. "Your wife once saved your life, do you remember?"
Qiao Wangfei immediately replied, "I will never forget your life-saving grace."
Qin Shaozong produced another list.
Unlike the complete list given to Jin Duole, if Ding Luying were here, he would definitely recognize that this list contained medicinal herbs that were not found in the North.
Qin Shaozong spoke frankly, “Some of the medicinal herbs on this list grow in the south, while others are in the east or west. They are all used by the lady’s son to treat his intractable illness. Tomorrow, you will go to the army and select a group of soldiers to personally lead the troops to collect the herbs. I don’t care what methods you use, whether you buy them from merchants along the way or split your troops into multiple groups to go to the places where the herbs grow, you must bring back the collected herbs within seventy days at most.”
Qin Shaozong knew that in addition to coercing the enemy into giving favors, he also needed to feed the horse. "When you return, I will reward you with five hundred taels of silver, a mansion, and a hundred acres of fertile land. Each of the soldiers who followed you south will receive fifty taels of silver, and for each medicinal herb they collect, each person will receive an additional ten taels of silver."
Nowadays, a cow costs no more than two taels of silver. A two-courtyard house in a small county town sells for only twenty taels.
Fifty taels of silver is a fortune for many people; Qin Shaozong gave away two houses in one go.
It goes without saying that Qiao Wangfei would receive five hundred taels.
Qiao Wangfei knew that his superiors were always generous and never treated those who had made contributions unfairly, but this was the first time they had promised to give away a large sum of money before the task was even completed.
“My lord, you don’t need to reward me with money. I owe Lady Dai my life, and I am willing to do anything for her,” Qiao Wangfei said quickly.
The ray of sunset that had slipped into the study gradually faded, and the man's face behind the desk disappeared into the darkness. "Take it if I give it to you. Go, and get out of the city before curfew to go back to the barracks in the suburbs to pick men. Set off early tomorrow morning."
Qiao Wangfei, hearing the unquestionable tone in his voice, bowed and accepted the order, saying, "I will do my utmost to complete this mission, so as not to fail Madam Dai's great kindness."
*
Qin Shaozong left the study and entered the main courtyard, just as dinner was being served. The delicious aroma of fish soup wafted out, making one's mouth water.
Qin Shaozong quickened his pace and, without needing anyone to call him, took his seat next to Dai Li.
When Dai Li saw him arrive, she reached for the soup spoon, but before her fingertips even touched the wooden handle, a pale hand with scars reached out.
"Mother, I'll do it."
Dai Li smiled and didn't stop her son from helping to serve the soup.
Qin Yanzhou first served a bowl to Dai Li, then a bowl to Qin Shaozong, and only then did he serve himself.
Just as the soup bowl was set down, footsteps approached from outside; it was Hu Bao.
"My lord, the man who was spying on us just now claimed to be a servant of the Wei family. What should we do with him?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dai Li couldn't help but glance at Qin Shaozong.
Author's Note: I'm here! [Sprinkling flowers]
Please, please give me some nutrient solution! [starry-eyed]
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